The 2014 F1 Season

This is a discussion on The 2014 F1 Season within Int'l Motorsport, part of the Motor-Sports category; Here is an interesting article on the radio exchange between the drivers and the race engineers - how it was ...

Loved this comment:Those controversial noses are likely to be exposed to knocks as well, though as they’re not major contributors to performance don’t expect teams to be too concerned about re-fitting them. The upshot being a lot of this year’s car’s might look rather better come the start of lap two

Quote:

Originally Posted by deetjohn

The turbocharger is there to compensate for the loss of cubic capacity. Due to the forced air, the 1.6 will inturn behave like a bigger engine. From 2013, the engine has lost 800cc and 2 cylinders. Is the turbo charger and the motor generator units enough to compensate for the power loss?

Turbocharger need not compensate for the entire 2 cyl-800cc that is lost from 2013. It just needs to reach 600bhp out of the previous 750bhp, with the rest compensated with the ERS module.

Quote:

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Yes, the cars are low on downforce. But the big difference being that the engineers are free to work on downforce through the season unlike engine, which once homologated cannot be touched. I am fully expecting the engineers to get all the downforce back. Maybe not this season, but its not far away.

Downforce would improve through the season but I doubt if the teams would use that configuration in all circuits. High downforce is one of the factors that would adversely impact the fuel efficiency. So the chances are that teams would go for the high downforce configuration only on tracks where fuel consumption is typically not going to be an issue.

Renault seems to be in a frantic state with contradicting news going out in all directions. There were news that they would request permission from FIA to modify the engine after the lockdown date and through the season to improve the reliability. Whether FIA would agree and if other teams might object to it remains to be seen.

Turbocharger need not compensate for the entire 2 cyl-800cc that is lost from 2013. It just needs to reach 600bhp out of the previous 750bhp, with the rest compensated with the ERS module.

Power is never excessive. Teams will go for maximum possible within the constaints of durability and FE.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zenren

Downforce would improve through the season but I doubt if the teams would use that configuration in all circuits. High downforce is one of the factors that would adversely impact the fuel efficiency. So the chances are that teams would go for the high downforce configuration only on tracks where fuel consumption is typically not going to be an issue.

Of course it won't stay the same. Teams vary the downforce level from circuit to circuit anyways. But the starting point this year due to the regulations is quite low.

Haha! Honda is still an unknown quantity in F1 with only hype & speculation around their comeback

I assume you have only recently started watching Formula One, Honda has a vivid history in F1, both as an engine supplier and works team. It will take a long time to write it in a post but you can read more about it here : ).

I think there may be more to it than hype. McLaren was effectively Mercedes 'works' team since mid-late nineties but with Mercedes deciding to join F1 with their own team, Mclaren would no longer get 'benefits' i.e. an engine tailored around their car. I think Honda joining forces with Macca is not so much speculation but I'll go ahead and say fact anachronix.

What is the guarantee that Honda will make a stonker of a V6T for Mclaren in 2015?

For me, its still very speculative to say that Honda will rule F1 with their comeback in 2015. Teams with even more vivid history are fighting Marussia & Caterhams, so anything about a Honda return is pure speculation.

Just look at Renault & Redbull now! Its very easy to get it wrong for teams who have dominated the sport until more than couple of months back, same goes for the Mercedes & Ferrari powertrains until they get the cars going through a whole race weekend in 2014.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maky

I assume you have only recently started watching Formula One, Honda has a vivid history in F1, both as an engine supplier and works team. It will take a long time to write it in a post but you can read more about it here : ).

I think there may be more to it than hype. McLaren was effectively Mercedes 'works' team since mid-late nineties but with Mercedes deciding to join F1 with their own team, Mclaren would no longer get 'benefits' i.e. an engine tailored around their car. I think Honda joining forces with Macca is not so much speculation but I'll go ahead and say fact anachronix.

Just because their first test didnt go well with the new engines? I would take this news with a pinch of salt.

New engine for 2015? Not unless Renault screws up big time and cannot rectify the issues by even mid season.

Since the source is Minardi, I would take the news with a lot of salt. He is just one of those people who just says anything to get some media attention. Isn't he the same 'know-it-all' who made all allegations about Vettel's illegal traction control system that could not be proved based on the sound of the car while exiting the chicane?

If he was half as good to identify stuff from car sounds, his team wouldn't have competed for the last spot all along.

What is the guarantee that Honda will make a stonker of a V6T for Mclaren in 2015?

For me, its still very speculative to say that Honda will rule F1 with their comeback in 2015. Teams with even more vivid history are fighting Marussia & Caterhams, so anything about a Honda return is pure speculation.

Just look at Renault & Redbull now! Its very easy to get it wrong for teams who have dominated the sport until more than couple of months back, same goes for the Mercedes & Ferrari powertrains until they get the cars going through a whole race weekend in 2014.

Oh! no did I sound mean there! Maky sorry!. It's just that I saw you mention Honda being an unknown quantity in F1 : P.....

Now, These are my reasons over certainty of Honda entering the sport as an engine supplier.
As I understand it anach it would make no sense for a 'Top' team like McLaren to have an engine supplier who's primary focus is no longer them but a different team. Mercedes always has favoured McLaren as they had the highest probability of bringing them success of all their customer teams. Similar to how Bridgestone modelled their tyres to suit MSC(yes) over anyone else in any other customer team back in the day. This is just part and parcel of F1.

Back to the on-going Topic, I think RBR will suffer a serious setback if they decide to dump Renault, not only in testing but throughout this season. Hence, I find it unlikely they would do so. Continuing what I said earlier there is absolutely no way Mercedes or Ferrari would give them a bespoke engine given them trying to break their recent dominance.

Toro Rosso considering an engine switch is understandable. Not Red Bull. Renault custom make the engine for Red Bull, in addition they share quite a few engineering philosophies.. focus on driveability rather than outright power is one of them.

We must rate Honda's ability to produce a top notch engine with one main factor.. pedigree.
They have it as well as well as the resources to deliver. (unlike say a Cosworth)

The current Power Units have a great deal of road car transfer potential, I wonder if BMW feel tempted to return.

Renault focus on driveability rather than outright power is one of them.

Talking about their road cars, huh?
In racing, outright power is everything, Peak power, which is why they run oversquare engines with big bores and short strokes and run gear ratios that make them stay at close to their ~16,000 rpm peak power band as much as possible.
This is why Mercedes powered cars had phenomenal strength on the straights and Redbull had to run very short ratio on the top gear and were vulnerable on the straights.

I will give them credit where its due for their KERS device.
They ran a smaller and compact KERS device as the usage of KERS was low and almost nil in wet races, and this compact KERS helped reduce weight among other benefits.

Elsewhere, the latest version of the sporting regulations also introduces a five-second time penalty for minor infractions. The regulation states that a driver must enter pit lane and stop at his pit box for at least five seconds and then re-join the race. The regulations add that while a car is stationary in pit lane as a result of incurring such a penalty it “may not be worked on until the car has been stationary for five seconds”.

The new rule adds that drivers can elect not to take the penalty in pitlane but can have the five seconds added to his time following the end of the race, provided the driver makes no further pit stop during the race.

It would be a strategic call regarding which option drivers/teams would choose. While 5 seconds added at the end of the race seems like the 'time saving' option, it helps drivers who are immediately behind to gain position without having to overtake on the tracks which need not always be easy. Again, a safety car of yellow flags towards the end of the race can royally tumble the places of a driver with a comfortable lead who was thinking of an end of race penalty.

IMO, these time penalties should be cancelled in the event of a safety car since the cars behind him would have covered all his lead during the safety car period.